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Daily Plastic is a Chicago-based movie
blog, a collaboration between Robert
Davis and J. Robert Parks, the same pair who brought you the wearable
movie tote, the razor-thin pencil pocket, and that joke about aardvarks.
If you know the whereabouts of the blue Pontiac Tempest that was towed
from the Plastic Parking Lot on the evening of August 7th, 2008, or more
importantly if you've recovered the red shoebox that was in its trunk,
please contact us at your
earliest convenience.

Davis was the chief film critic for the late, great Paste Magazine (which lives on now as a website) from 2005 through 2009, and he counts this interview with Claire Denis among his favorite moments. Every once in a while he pops up on Twitter. He's presently sipping puerh in Chicago, even at this hour. Meanwhile, Parks, whose work has appeared in TimeOut Chicago, The Hyde Park Herald, and Paste, is molding unsuspecting, college-aged minds in the aforementioned windy city. Media types are warned to stay clear of his semester-sized field of influence because of the distorting effects that are likely to develop.

On this edition of the Plastic Podcast, Rob and J. Robert talk about a recent documentary by noted street artist Banksy, whose stencils and more elaborate works seem to respond to and interact with the world around us. But is the whole movie a hoax? And what if it is?

6 Responses to “Exit Through the Gift Shop”

That's great, Rob. I think this is one of our better conversations. My only regret is that I didn't respond well to your thoughtful point about how Banksy's use of counterfeit money fits into his larger approach. That's a great thought, but I didn't do anything with that in the podcast and instead switched topics. Bleah. Otherwise, a pat on our backs. :)

Oh, I didn't notice that you changed the subject at all. I think I interrupted you mid-thought and you wanted to get back to what you're saying, so it's fine. I made the point about the boxes of cash and didn't have much else to say about 'em.

By the way, I took that photo of the mouse when Lorraine and I were in London back in 2004. I didn't know who was doing it, but I loved spotting those stencils around town. They looked so good I almost wondered if the city had commissioned them. But, no.

Great discussion! (really liked the last one, too; hope you guys continue to put these out)

The film is still playing in San Francisco theatres, in what must be 2010's longest straight stretch in local cinemas. The first time I tried to go my crew got shut out due to high ticket demand. I ended up seeing it a month later with a different group. Discussing the "hoax"-esque aspects after the film was as much fun as watching the film itself.

My tweet after the screening/discussion: "Whatever else this document is, it's Banksy's warning shot against would-be imitators and parodists." Perhaps that reveals (at least to those who've seen the film) my own view about whether the film is "real" or not...

Exit seems to have left Chicago, finally. According to Box Office Mojo it has recently dropped from four to two touring prints, but they're certainly making the rounds: Florida, West Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts are all in the queue.

Hi guys, it’s me again. No, I have not slept yet. Thanks again for another great podcast. Sorry again if I ramble. I really enjoyed this movie, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of some other films that were released this year.

Firstly, the debate of whether or not this is real or a hoax reminded me of the initial response to Inception – is it all a dream or did it really happen? With Exit, I think the question of realness is not the main point. Yes, arguments can be made for both, but in the end what you take away from it is not meant to be influenced by the authenticity of it. However, like Inception, the sheer fact that you can question whether or not what you saw was all real adds to the thrill of the film.

It also kinda reminded me of the documentary Catfish, about the guy who finds love over Facebook but all is not as it seems. With that “documentary” the authenticity felt important to me – if it is real then they did a good job of capturing it, but I’m not that interested in what they do next. If it isn’t real then they did a really good job of creating that story, and I am curious about what else they may do in the future.

Last but not least it brought me back to my favourite film, The Social Network. Like Zuckerberg, Banksy seems the type of guy who is more concerned with what his idea can result in rather than how much money he can make from it. In both cases there is some sort of rebellion inherent in giving stuff away for free, but - inevitably - money becomes a pretty important factor.

I personally think the entire film could be genuine, and doubt whether it will ever be determined one way or another. Thierry’s time in the trenches following all those street artists makes it seem credible that they in turn would help him out in making his own thing. Also, considering at the start of the film he talks about how he would take badly made clothes and sell them as “vintage” or “one of a kind” in his shop, he seems the type of person that would let his ego blind him from the idea that his art is not “real”, and the type of guy that would put in minimum effort to get maximum profit.